If you are looking to make your stay in Las Vegas more upscale while still staying close to the action of the strip, you should consider staying at THE Hotel at Mandalay Bay.

Both a part of and separate from the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino, THE Hotel at Mandalay Bay has definitely raised the bar when it comes to room size, comfort and service.

Where is THE Hotel?

THE Hotel is located within the Mandalay Bay resort on Las Vegas Boulevard at the southern end of the strip. The lobby of THE Hotel connects to the Mandalay Bay casino adjacent to the Mandalay Place entrance, providing easy access to the gambling and shopping. The Mandalay Bay pool area is a bit harder to reach, as you have to walk across the casino or around its perimeter to get to the elevators or stairs to walk down to the beach level and then out to the beach.

Both valet and self-parking is available at THE Hotel. The self-parking is in the Mandalay Bay parking garage as is the valet parking, but the entrance to THE Hotel faces into the garage so the walk is quite short, especially if you are dropped off by taxi or use the valet service.

Check-In

We had been staying at another hotel before moving to THE Hotel and had a rental car, so we weren’t dropped off at the door by a taxi and didn’t use the valet. The self-park garage is 5 stories tall with plenty of parking spaces – we didn’t have any trouble finding a spot the whole time we were there.

From the parking garage you enter the main entrance of THE Hotel into a circular lobby that has 4 different hallways – the one you came from, one that goes to the Mandalay Bay Casino, one to the elevators and one, straight ahead to the front desk area. The first think you’ll notice upon entering is the simple and clean Asian themed design that runs through THE Hotel.

There is no dedicated queuing line at the front desk, instead most people just line up as it is a fairly narrow hallow into the front desk area. At the time I checked in there were only 2 people in line ahead of me and about 5 different staff members working the front desk. The line moved quickly and I proceeded to check-in quite quickly.

Check-in was easy, they asked for my ID and a credit card I wanted to use for room charges, confirmed everything and gave me my electronic keys. The whole process took less than 5 minutes once I approached the desk.

Finding your room

This is actually easier than it is in a lot of Las Vegas hotels. Because THE Hotel is separate from Mandalay Bay and everything radiates off that central lobby, to get to your room from the front desk area, all you have to do is walk back down the hall to the lobby and then head down the short hall to the elevator. There are two different banks of elevators there, one for the first 23 floors and the other for the floors above that to the 43rd floor. We stayed on the 8th floor while my parents were on the 23rd floor and our friends were up on the 31st floor. There really was no difference between the banks of elevators and for our whole stay, there was, at most a 1 or 2 minute wait to catch an elevator up or down.

Once you are on the elevator and it opens onto your floor, you walk into a small common area that has two different hallways that head off from it. The first thing you’ll notice is that the hallways are shorter than the average hotel hallway in Las Vegas and that the rooms have a greater distance between them (that’s because all of THE Hotel’s rooms are expanded suites). Follow the directions on the signage at the elevator and head to your room.

What really makes THE Hotel special…the rooms

When you swipe your card and open your door, you’ll understand why you paid the premium you did to stay at The Hotel. The room opens into a small, tiled hallway that has a half-bathroom off of it (sink and toilet). That hallway opens up into the living room which runs for the length of the room and ends in full floor to ceiling windows. In the living room are a couch, a lounge chair, a desk and swivel office chair, and then a very big, flat screen TV. Toward the back of the living room, next to the door into the bedroom is as wet bar that offers the hotel supplied drinks and snacks (very expensive, I wouldn’t suggest taking them) and a small sink.

Going into the bedroom the rooms either have a single king sized bed or two queen sized beds, along with a giant armoire that holds another large flat screen TV and two closets, along with several draws for more storage. There are also nightstands on either side of the bed. There are, like in the living room, floor to ceiling windows.

From the bedroom, you enter the master bathroom which offers a double sink set into a marble countertop, marble flooring, a shower, a separate oversized tub and then a separate, smaller room that houses the toilet so someone could be going to the bathroom while someone else uses the sink. There’s also a small flat-screen TV in the bathroom so you can watch the news while you brush your teeth. The bathroom is also well stocked with toiletries from THE Hotel’s spa. We never even cracked open our own stuff (besides our toothpaste and deodorant) because everything was so well stocked by housekeeping.

The best part of the room? It had to be the bed. I have honestly never slept on a more comfortable bed in a hotel room. The king sized bed that was in our room was just pure heaven to me. The two queen beds that my parents had in their room was just as comfortable as our bed, though my Father complained that it was “too soft” for his liking.

The bed was followed up by the TVs – having one in both the living room and the bedroom was nice. I could watch something while lying in bed and my boyfriend could watch TV in the living. When I got up early in the morning, I’d close the bathroom door and turn on the news and not disturb him. It was a nice touch and really added to the experience of the room.

Amenities

Once your in your room, in addition to the wet bar and the toiletries, you get a complimentary morning paper each day, access to 24-hour room service and housekeeping services, and luggage handling services. Room service is prompt and courteous (and not all that expensive compared to other Vegas hotels). We had coffee delivered each morning and never had a problem. The room service menu even includes appetizer platters should you be entertaining in your room.

When you leave your room, you have access to the Spa within THE Hotel, which includes a full gym and spa facility. There are additional costs for all the services. THE Hotel guests also have access to Mandalay Bay’s pool facilities. That’s the second best part of staying at THE Hotel – the access to the beach.

Yes, that’s right, there’s a beach at Mandalay Bay. As a guest you have access to the 11-acre tropical paradise that encompasses a large wave pool with a real sand beach surrounding it, several other pools, a lazy river, and plenty of secluded and relaxing spots in the sun or in the shade of palm trees and in the cooling mists that are provided throughout the area. There’s also a bar and grill type restaurant right in the pool area and there are waitresses that will serve you drinks throughout the area.

This was my favorite part of Mandalay Bay the first time I stayed there. Sadly this time in December, the pool area was closed because it was cold, but in the warmer months you can get up early, go have breakfast, and then spend the entire day at the pool. It is not like other Vegas pools, where’s it’s basically some concrete and a pool. This is a destination, a place you will want to spend some time.

Casino

I’ve never really been that impressed with Mandalay Bay’s casino. The design is fairly straightforward, pretty much a big rectangle with over 100,000 square feet of gaming space. The majority of the casino is filled with slots and video poker machines, though there are a fair number of table games too. The slots are scattered throughout the casino and the table games generally run along the main walkways and in the center of casino. There are high-limit table gaming areas and slot areas.

The casino is very clean, well maintained and isn’t organized such that you’ll get lost in it. Even better, the signage is a lot easier to follow than most casinos. The staff is very attentive. I was always able to find a waitress to get a drink and if I needed help with a slot machine, someone was always around quickly to take care of it.

With regards to the tables, Mandalay Bay offers the full compliment of games. There are often lower limit tables during the weekdays and there are complimentary classes to show you how to play the tables should you try to learn.

Mandalay Bay and THE Hotel are part of the MGM Mirage Players Club and you should sign up if you are going to play at all. Based on your level of play you’ll receive future offers for discounted rooms, show tickets and other comps.

Restaurants, Lounges, Nightclubs and Entertainment and Some Other Stuff

Within THE Hotel there are fewer options that what is available in the larger Mandalay Bay resort. MIX is both a lounge and a restaurant that is located on the 43rd floor of THE Hotel. There’s also a coffee shop, a lounge and a small café that serves breakfast and lunch during the week and also serves dinner on the weekends.

Upon leaving THE Hotel proper and entering the rest of Mandalay Bay, the choices are almost too numerous to count, so I’ll only hit a few.

Rumjungle: Home of the Firepit, where you can eat as much as you want of tropically inspired dishes (with selections like sirloin, salmon, tuna, chicken, turkey, chorizo and more). This place is cool, from the ‘water walls’ to the wait staff, to the cooking and presentation.

Bay Side Buffet: Overlooking the pools and gardens outside, the buffet is very good. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. Prices are a bit higher than other buffets, but the selection and service are outstanding. This has got to be my favorite buffet for breakfast in Las Vegas. The selection is vast, the food is very fresh and compared to what you’d pay for a standard breakfast in other restaurants, the Bay Side Buffet for breakfast is a deal.

House of Blues: Located right in the casino area, the House of Blues serves southern inspired dishes (expect seasoned and spicy).

Fleur de Lys: I wasn’t really sure what “contemporary french cuisine” was before I went to Fleur de Lys, but after my best friend had his wedding reception here, I knew it at least partly meant “outstanding, amazing and wonderful food.” There’s few times when I’ve been so impressed with a meal and our visit here was one of them. I even tried things I never thought I would eat before and it was all so good. Not only that, it was all topped off by a chocolate soufflé from heaven.

There are also several other restaurants in Mandalay Bay including Red, White and Blue (American cuisine), Aureole (modeled after Charlie Palmer’s restaurant in NY with a 4-story wine rack!), Border Grill, China Grill, Red Square, Shanghai Lili, Trattoria Del Lupi, Noodle Shop, Burger Bar, Charlie Palmer Steak, Restaurant rm, Stripsteak, and Raffles. In addition, there are several lounges throughout Mandalay Bay, serving various types of drinks and food.

Nightclubs include Rumjungle, Red Square and the House of Blues. The House of Blues also doubles as a concert location, hosting acts and big name artists from around the country.

Nightly in the Mandalay Bay’s theater, there is a production of “Mama Mia” playing. Concerts are also held in the Mandalay Bay events center and at the beach at Mandalay Bay.

How much to stay there?

THE Hotel isn’t cheap. Rooms start around $170 for weeknights and can go up to $800 or $900 a night depending upon the time of the year (it’s $900 to stay there New Year’s Eve). However you are getting the largest standard hotel room in Las Vegas and plenty of conveniences that are absent in other Las Vegas Hotels.

I managed to snag two complimentary nights based on my previous play, so it does pay to get that Player’s Club card and use it whenever you gamble. I also had some of my room charges comp’d based on my play while we were staying there.

Check-out

Check-out is just like check-in and is accomplished at the front desk. You review your room charges, hand over your keys and you are ready to go. When I checked out there was a line of about 8 or so people in front of me. The line continued to move and we were out of the hotel in about 10 minutes or so.

If you have a late flight, you can check your bags at the Bell Desk and they will hold them until you are ready to catch a taxi to the airport.

Final Thoughts

Based on the quality of the rooms alone, I would stay at THE Hotel again. However if I had to pay full price for the room, I would probably think twice about staying there, especially for an extended period of time because it could quickly get to be very expensive.

The overall design is pleasant, the rooms are stunning and the service and amenities are excellent. Besides the costs, I can’t really think of anything negative about staying at THE Hotel.

Honestly, it’s very hard to not really love this hotel, one stay and you’ll be spoiled when it comes to other hotels on the Las Vegas Strip.


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